Clear The Air
by uniqueinkblots
Summary: Danny's actually feeling pretty bad about cornering Mindy outside of his apartment and yelling at her...even though he's convinced it's all her fault. But somehow, that doesn't really matter. Mindy's not speaking to him and he surprisingly hates it. He just wants to make things right again. Tag to 1x20 - Danny/Mindy friendship.


**A/N: **

Hi everyone! I'm new to the TMP fandom. From what I've seen, it's not particularly large, but I'm still very excited to share this with you! I know I'm way late on the boat with this one since it's a continuation to 1x20 when Danny and Mindy have that argument outside his apartment but hey, it was sitting on my desktop so I thought I'd go ahead and publish it. I'm still trying to get a grip on how to write the characters so feedback is very much appreciated :)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

* * *

"Hey, hold the elevator!" Danny calls as he hastens his pace and makes a beeline for the sliding doors. Despite all of his boasting about working out and being in shape, he's never been a fan of the stairs.

"Thanks," he says gratefully, slipping through the closing doors and looking up only to meet the vacant gaze of Mindy.

Fantastic. Maybe he _should _have taken the stairs. God knows he wouldn't have run into her here. He hasn't seen her or heard from her since the disastrous party he and Alex threw over the weekend and he's not sure if he's ready for this moment.

"Not feeling very chatty today, huh?" His smile is tentative and sheepish but still sincere.

He has a feeling she's miffed at him and he wants to make peace. He was up half the night feeling guilty about their fight of all things. He should be more concerned over Alex breaking up with him, but somehow, he can't bring himself to care that much. Not when's he convinced Mindy is mad at him; that's a bigger problem in his mind. (Technically, they're always mad at each other because of the constant bickering but this is different. This is bad.)

Mindy finally looks up from the medical charts she was pretending to read. (Come on - she's standing not even three feet away from him and he's not blind. The paperwork is clearly upside down, there's no way she's actually preparing for a patient.)

"I guess not," she murmurs stiffly and gives him a curt nod before stepping off the elevator, avoiding his gaze. "I'll see you around, Dr. Castellano." She disappears into her office, letting the door shut softly behind her. The same door that normally stays open, welcoming visits from her co-workers.

Danny's heart sinks and he swallows down the regret that threatens to choke him. He didn't want to be right about her being upset with him, but looks like he is.

But besides his disappointment, there's also surprise. There are a couple of things about their encounter he refuses to accept. He can think of three right off the bat.

Mindy's been mad at him before, but not like this. Her complaints are always loud and boisterous; there's a certain fire in the way she fights with him, one that he's almost grown fond of. If she wasn't so infuriating, he would maybe even find it cute. Regardless, he's never seen her like this: cold and uninterested. Not seeing any kind of emotion on her face...he hates that. It's not supposed to be like that.

Secondly, _Dr. Castellano? _What was that all about? He can't remember a time Mindy has ever called him that, except when she's teasing him and messing around. He's _Danny, _for crying out loud. Caste-lamo even, when he's in a good mood and willing to accept her taunts. He's not Dr. Castellano...not when it comes to Mindy. The formal name calling is entirely foreign to him and it makes him feel a little lost.

And finally, how does she get away with being mad at him?

_She _told Alex about Christina. S_he_ deliberately brought a prostitute into his home. _S__he _ruined his party.

Not the other way around.

God, this is why he avoids being too social. It just never ends well. Because in the end, he was the one who had been the real jerk.

_I didn't ask to be your friend._

His winces as his harsh words come back to him. That had probably been uncalled for. He didn't even know where that had come from, to be honest. He had just been so furious, he hadn't able to contain that angry tirade outside of his apartment_._

Danny mutters a quiet hello at Betsy and Morgan before escaping into his office and burying his face in his hands.

That was the thing about his temper. It always consumes him, morphing him into someone else entirely. He had never intended to scream at Mindy like that. It had just kind of happened and he was genuinely regretting it.

He secretly prides himself on being one of the good guys in Mindy's life. (God knows there aren't many since her track record is horrendous.) Even if it's just as a friend, he likes that he's reliable. He'll probably never admit it again (even to himself) but he looks after her and he's kind of grown to like it.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Mindy's feelings. Not when she's one of the only people that actually care, even if her way of showing it is often obnoxious or less than traditional.

He groans and bangs his head against the desk before glancing at his watch and grabbing a file from his top drawer. He had a lot of patients scheduled for the morning, so while he's determined to fix things, now is most definitely not the time.

* * *

"Hey Min," Danny greets her as casually as he can muster before joining her on the couch in the doctor's lounge. He usually sits on the other end but he wants to be as close to her as possible for this.

Mindy looks disgruntled at his proximity, scowling briefly before schooling her expression into something more neutral. She reluctantly mumbles something unintelligible before redirecting her focus on the television.

Some nature special on killer whales.

Oh god, if she's not in a good enough mood to watch one of her ridiculous romantic comedies, he's in trouble isn't he?

"Hey, no, why you watching that? Let's see one of your favorites. When Henry Met Susan?"

"_When Harry Met Sally!" _Mindy can't help but correcting him, disbelief coloring her tone. She's giving him her look that says: y_ou're an old man, and I can't believe you're not familiar with this pop culture reference. _

"Yeah, that. Uh, that's what I meant. Let's watch that? I'm pretty sure you have a copy stashed around here somewhere."

Mindy shrugs at him before wrapping her arms around her torso and curling up into a ball on her side of the couch. Defensive and reluctant.

"Whatever," she mutters.

Danny is relieved to her the petulant, sulking tone to her voice. It isn't much but it's far better than the emotionless tone he received this morning. He has a feeling she might be wearing down; he hopes it's as hard for her to ignore him as it is for him to ignore her.

"Come on," he pleads teasingly, gently pushing her arm. He would have punched her playfully but he distinctly remembers getting scolded at for doing that during the Christmas party fiasco. "When are you going to accept my apology?"

"Are you kidding me?" Mindy sputters, abruptly sitting up and turning the TV off. "You haven't actually made one, you jerk!"

"Huh." Danny thoughtfully tilts his head to the side before nodding in acknowledgement. "Oh. I guess I haven't. But in my defense, I've practiced it in my head, like, ten times. I, uh...I felt bad."

"Let's hear it then." A ghost of her cheeky smile flitters across Mindy's face and it makes Danny's heart soar.

He clears throat. "Mindy, I'm sorry about what I said the other night. About not asking to be your friend. I mean, it's kind of true. I didn't actually ask to be your friend but ah...that doesn't mean I don't want to be. It's actually one of the best things about working here. And also the most amusing. _Definitely _the most amusing. You're a great woman and listen carefully because I'm not likely to say it again: you're the best friend I've ever had an I'm sorry I ever said anyhing different. Okay?"

Mindy blinks at him, silently processing what he's just said.

"Okay?" Danny asks again. "Mindy?"

And suddenly, Mindy closes the space between them and throws her arms around his neck. "Oh Danny!" she squeals. "Danny, that's so cute. I'm your best friend?"

To his horror, he can feel his cheeks heating up but he adamantly shakes his head. "It's whatever. I told you, not saying it twice."

Mindy lets go of him only to put both hands against her heart. "You don't have to," she says solemnly. "I'm not ever going to forget this moment. This wonderful, adorable, best friend moment. It's kind of like a movie, you know?! You killed it. So heartfelt with just the slight amount of cockiness."

"Cockiness?" Danny demands. "Hey, I spoke from the heart. Like a real man would."

"You called me amusing in a condescending manner, don't think I didn't notice. Come on, Danny." She shoots him a knowing look before shooting off the couch.

Danny grins, absurdly pleased that his apology has been received well. Mindy still messed up his night and part of him feels like she was mostly in the wrong, but apologizing made him feel like less of a jerk and let's face it - he's infinitely more happy now that she's speaking to him again. It was a surprisingly mind numbingly dull day without Mindy prancing around his office, singing Katy Perry songs at the top of her lungs.

"Min...hey, what are you doing in the the supply closet?"

Mindy pokes her head out from the closet, triumphantly waving a copy of _When Harry Met Sally _in the air. "You were right. I've got my favorites hidden around the lounge. Can't trust cable to always get it right, you know?"

"Um. I actually really like whales though." Danny clicks the TV back on and settles against the cushions, gesturing towards the documentary. "This is cool."

"Ugh, no, it's a giant fish that's basically a panda bear in water."

"Because it's black and white, you're comparing orcas to _panda bears?" _Danny scoffs. "Jesus. Didn't you pay attention in any one of the numerous biology courses we had to take in order to, I don't know, _become a doctor?" _

Mindy pops the DVD in and waves her hand at him dismissively. "I'm just sharing my opinion."

"Your opinion is absurd," he grumbles.

"Danny, shut up, and go get me a snack."

He sighs but obediently stands up before squatting down beside the vending machine. "Um...goldfish?"

"Nah. I'm feeling twizzlers. Hurry up! It's starting."

Danny hides his smile and hands her the sugary snack before settling beside her and condemning himself to two and a half hours of mushy gushy oversentimental hell.

He's going to be bored out of his mind...but when it comes to Mindy, it's always worth it in the end.

"Hey Danny?" Mindy whispers about twenty minutes into the movie.

He doesn't know why they're whispering but he lowers his voice too. "Yeah?"

"For the record...I'm sorry too. For everything. I didn't know - "

"It's okay," he cuts in. "I know that now."

"Oh. Well good." Mindy faces the TV again, cautiously resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mindy, what...?"

"Ssh. Cuddling falls under the duty of being a best friend. It's like you don't know the code or something, psh."

"Oh god. There's a code?"

Mindy glares at him and increases the volume. "Yes of course. Now shut up, already."

Danny groans but he's not actually frustrated. He wouldn't trade this moment for the world.

* * *

**A/N:**

Thanks for reading!


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